“Times sure are changing. I don’t think there was ever a time when I’d see traeltors this often.” Crimwal said as he pulled his little cart along.
Raymond, Estella and Kalos remained silent as they walked. Raymond couldn’t help but feel like Crimwal was staring at Estella a bit too much, but who wouldn’t stare if they saw a pregnant woman travelling along this rather long path. He also couldn’t help but notice an increasing amount of broken or damaged carts, carriages and wagons as they walked. This was a common scene for a few hundred meters. Some of them had their wheels or had been burnt. Raymond even saw a carriage that had somehow gotten stuck in a tree.
“One can’t help but feel like the worlds become… unbalanced, no? Not just the world, its people as well.” Crimwal said hoping for a response from anyone, but no one said anything.
Raymond snuck a few glances into the little man’s cart and saw a few old pots and pans. He decided not to pay them any mind as they made their way to Llendor.
Llendor, from what Raymond remembered, was a town that served as a hub for villagers, knights and merchants. People from just about everywhere near there would trade goods and services before heading back to their homes or beginning their journey to Eslaf Retnec, which was Faacri's capital.
Llendor soon appeared in the distance.
“There it is, Llendor. Is this by chance your first visit?” Crimwal asked.
“No… I’ve been here before, but that was a while ago.” Raymond said as he heard the sounds of someone screaming in the distance.
The group approached the city and the once serene atmosphere of the forest disappeared completely, only to be replaced by the rancid smell of piss and sweat in the night. Horses wandered without riders, the buildings looked like even the slightest winds would blow them apart. The people of Llendor were a filthy bunch. Their yellowed eyes and the commonplace lack of teeth made Kalosýni's face twist slightly.
Many of the people they passed stared intently at Estella and her baby bump. Kalos even found women gawking at her and so he pulled get closer towards him.
Kalos walked with Estella closely beside him and realized that compared to the women in Llendor, Estella’s beauty was beyond extraordinary. This made his chest burn with pride.
Estella noticed this and realized that Kalos was strutting around with her as though she was a prized piece of meat. She gently elbowed him and he returned to walking normally.
Raymond stopped by a dried well near what could vaguely be called the centre or the town. He caught a glance of men standing near cages filled with traeltors before facing Crimwal.
“Thank you for accompanying us.” He said as a fancy-looking horse-driven carriage passed them on its way to the western part of the town.
Raymond noticed that the driver and passenger wore rather familiar pieces of armour.
“Oh no. It was the least I could do after you saved me and my cargo, but it truly is sad that we must part ways. I was beginning to take a liking to you three. Farewell then.” Crimwal said before dragging his cart away.
“That man was strange,” Kalos said.
Look who’s talking! Raymond cried internally as he saw that Kalos stood a full three or so heads taller than most men.
Almost everyone around was sizing the boy up and gauging his combat prowess, among other things.
Raymond couldn’t say much when it came to height either because he also towered above most men. He turned his head and found a particular building amidst the rubble that was central Llendor.
They entered the building and found a single man sitting behind a small desk.
He then noticed Raymond and company’s presence but his expression remained unchanged.
“How much for a room?” Raymond asked.
The man slowly blinked his yellow eyes and let out an alcohol-infused sigh.
“Five silver coins.” The man said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
Raymond reached for his pouch but found it was missing. His heart was about to sink when Kalos offered him something.
“Mmm?” Raymond sounded as he looked at his son’s hand to find his coin purse.
“That man from earlier, Crimwal, tried to take it from you, so I took it from him,” Kalos said with an unreasonably happy smile.
You should’ve let him rob me you freak! Raymond thought as he handed the man over the counter five silver coins.
“Your room is the last one to the right.” The man groaned as he took the coins.
Raymond and company made their way up the short flight of stairs and found their room. A heavy, almost vomit-inducing smell hung in the air. Something or someone had died behind this building's doors.
The group entered their room to find a moist-looking dirty bed that they all simultaneously vowed not to sleep in. There were also several crappy pieces of furniture. Some lines with dried patches of blood and others lacking various pieces.
Raymond shifted the bed away from the centre of the small room, making space for their little handmade camp beds.
They sat down and had some of the dried food they’d prepared for their journey.
Kalos noticed that his father was staring into the distance as he finished the last of his dried meat.
“What’s wrong, dad?” Kalos asked.
“Uh… it’s just- this place isn’t the same as I remembered.” Raymond said with sombre eyes.
Estella nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. Leedon once told me about how this used to be an outpost for knights.” She said, before realizing that Raymond’s face had completely stiffened.
With a grunt, he got up and walked towards the door.
“I’m going to get some supplies. Food… and maybe some beer.” Raymond said before leaving Kalos and Estella, who noticed that Kalos had been staring at her the entire time with eyes that sparkled with anticipation and curiosity.
“What?” She asked hesitantly.
“Did uncle Leeden ever tell you what happened to Llendor?” Kalos asked.
“Well, he said that during the reign of emperor Pleetus the second, the order of Eirini needed to expand the king's territory while having enough checkpoints between Eslaf and its villages. He said that Llendor was set up as the hub of those checkpoints and outposts. People from all around used to come here to trade. It reached its height at the beginning of emperor Pleetus the third's reign but near the end, things took a dark turn. The emperor began prioritizing outward exploration of the lands and-" Estella took a sip of water from her water skin to quench her thirst.
“That led to the… abandonment of some of the inner outposts, Llendor being the most affected. It quickly became an ungoverned town, with all sorts of people passing through its gates… well, there used to be gates.” Estella said as she didn’t recall seeing any gates or even walls surrounding the city.
One could make out pieces of rubble that there was once a mighty wall that surrounded the town’s perimeter, but it had long been destroyed.
“Is that why there are so many shady looking people now?” Kalos asked.
“Yes,” Estella said before laying her head down to sleep.
Kalos on the other hand was determined to stay awake, as anything could happen in such a lawless town. He also realized the importance of the order of Eirini in his home village and other places. They kept the peace, but in recent times, the emperor had been sending them out to explore other parts of the world, which left places like Llendor vulnerable.
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A couple of minutes passed and Kalos found himself being flustered by the sounds that were coming from the next room. It sounded like the occupants were experiencing either great pain or great pleasure. He was about to cover his ears as to spare himself from the loud groans and moans when a loud bang hit their door.
Kalos jumped up and stood in front of Estella.
“Hey! Open up! I know you’re in there!” A loud, rough voice yelled.
Kalos unsheathed his dagger and prepared himself for the coming threat as he had been taught by his father so many times before.
“Jael! Jael, open up!”
Kalos was confused.
“What? I’m not Jael, I’m Kalos!” Kalos yelled with his smooth and youthful voice.
“What? You’re not Jael?”
“No!” Kalos yelled.
“Oh... Sorry!” The man said before banging on the next door from which Kalos heard the strange noises.
More loud noises came and Kalos heard a woman scream. It sounded like the man from before had gotten into a fight with the room's occupants and it sounded like this motel would soon become the scene of a rather violent crime.
“Aunty, pack up the beds. We have to leave.” Kalos said to a sleepy Estella who had been awoken by the various loud noises and yelling.
“Mmm? Where are we going to go and shouldn't we wait for your father?” She asked as she frantically rolled up her camp bed and clumsily stood. Just as she did, a loud explosion could be heard outside.
Estella took a peek out of the window and saw central Llendor had fallen into chaos.
"Oh, my!" She gasped.
“What’s going on?” Kalos asked.
“Umm… I don’t know. Everyone is just fighting everyone. Traeltors are running amok and there’s a large fire towards the way we came from.” Estella reported.
Kalos ran to her side and glanced outside the window to find tens if not hundreds of people committing random acts of violence.
Some mercilessly ganged up and beat others, seemingly at random. While others destroyed the surrounding infrastructure which made Kalos question how the buildings of Llendor had managed to remain standing for as long as they had.
“Mmm… we need to leave. I think we should take the eastern Eslaf route. I’m sure my father will do the same and we’ll meet up somehow. Come!” Kalos instructed as he opened the door to find the naked body of a man with a cut across his neck and several more across his arms and face.
Kalos saw an open door behind the corpse, revealing a naked woman who looked pale and petrified by fear. Her frail-looking and almost sickly looking body made Kalos feel rather sorry for her. He wanted to help the woman but he felt Estella tugging at his arm.
“Let’s go!” She cried, but Kalos couldn’t help but feel like he could help.
“Hey, you! Come on. Let’s go! It isn’t safe here.” Kalos said as the chaos outside grew ever louder and ever more terrifying. The woman looked at Kalos with yellow baggy eyes that were lined with tears.
Kalos didn't gestured that the woman follow him. Even if he didn’t know her. There was a chance that she was going to meet an untimely death if she remained in that room.
“Come on!” For the first time in all of Estella’s years of knowing the joyful burst of energy that was Kalos, he had a stern expression and determined eyes. The woman must have also seen what Estella did because she got dressed and followed them as they left the motel of death.
Kalos saw the little table where the receptionist from earlier sat was now empty but thought no further about it. They left the dirty building and found themselves on the chaotic streets of Llendor.
Kalos looked to the east and found the road that led out of the city.
“Come on!” He said as they made their way down the street.
Kalos heard a loud noise coming from behind him coupled with the cries of horses. He turned his head to find a carriage led by two horses charging towards the eastern gate as well.
“Run!” Kalos yelled as he tightly held onto Estella’s hand, but the childbearing Estella couldn’t run very fast.
Kalos felt the carriage fast approaching so he bolted to the right into a dark alley thus narrowly avoiding the speeding wagon.
Kalos, Estella and woman Kalos convinced into following him took deep breaths but then Kalos noticed a man sitting on the damp floor in the alley.
The man wore armour that was hidden under a large hood and was covered in what seemed like layers of dirt and soot. Thick fumes of alcohol and sweat rose from his entire body which would have caused a normal person to feel ill.
The man looked up at Kalos, revealing a weathered fairly wrinkly face and dried lips. The man also had marvellous blue eyes that almost lit up in the dark.
“Mmm…” The man let out a faint hum amidst the chaos, before his head fell, seemingly returning to sleep.
“Aaahhhh!” A scream knocked Kalos out of his head. He peeked out of the alley and saw people committing various acts of violence.
Llendor’s denizens continued attacking each other seemingly at random. Large fires set Llendor ablaze and blood had begun to run down its streets.
Kalos had never seen such a nightmarish image. One where humanity revealed its ugliest colours. His small hometown, Silves, was paradise compared to what he witnessed in Llendor.
Estella and the woman from earlier cowered behind him as the chaos reached its apex.
Kalos then noticed something amidst the carnage.
A single man walked towards them. Although the man was rather far, Kalos saw that the man’s eyes were as black as the darkest night and his movements strangely stiff, almost inhuman.
Kalos took Estella’s hand and dashed out of the alley, this action seemingly triggered the man into performing a full sprint towards Kalos.
Kalos did his best to hug the walls that led to Llendor’s eastern gate to avoid a large amount of the ongoing chaos. He looked back and saw that the man was still chasing them. The man tripped over debris and corpses, but he found his footing and continued sprinting towards Kalos.
The man eventually started closing the gap between himself and Kalos. This was worsened by the fact that Estella couldn’t run very quickly.
Kalos and his female companions stopped near the eastern entrance where they saw chaotic scenes of more violence and destruction. Kalos looked back and realized the man had already reached them.
Kalos readied his dagger and swung at the man with a diagonal slash, hitting the man in the face and cleaving off a segment of his face. The man fell backwards violently, but then regained his footing and lashed out at Kalos, even as lots of black gooey blood oozed out from the gaping wound Kalos had given him.
Wait. Kalos realized that the man wasn’t trying to attack him, his target was Estella. Kalos thought back to what his father said about those who were afflicted with the dread and how they ate children. This made Kalos rather upset as the prospect of someone hurting Estella came to mind. It angered him so much that his entire thought process was reduced to one single thought.
Protect Estella.
Kalos punched the man in the face sending numerous teeth flying out of his mouth. Even as the man desperately tried to crawl towards Estella, Kalos continued to bash away at the man.
His vision reddened and his breath became frantic, but he continued to punch on. He then tightened his grip around his dagger, grabbed the mans left arm bringing him closer and stabbed him in the temple just like his father had shown him.
Kalosýni’s heart raced as he had taken his first life. His knees shook and his stomach twisted as his gaze fell on the blood that coated most of his body. There was no sense of victory in what he had done. But just as he began reflecting on his first kill-
“Aaahhhh! Let go of me!” Kalos turned his head to find a rather small dirty man grabbing Estella by the neck. The man had a knife in his right hand, his face was hideous and he had several missing teeth. That, plus his yellow eyes made him one of the ugliest people Kalos had ever seen, but he only thought this because the village where he was raised was rather peaceful and the people there took care of themselves and each other which gave them rather youthful appearances.
“Hehe, I’m taking this pretty lovely lady with me, you hear? Hehe.” The man said rather slowly. Even his blinking was rather slow which would have puzzled Kalos if he wasn’t so enraged.
“Oooohhh! Such pretty white eyes! Like pearls, hehehe. Hahaha!” The man said with a deranged laugh as he roughly turned Estella’s head to look at her face.
Kalos couldn’t do anything in this situation. He was out of breath and at least two meters away from the scrawny man.
Hebegan to wonder where his father was and what he would have done in this situation, but this wasn’t the time to think about such things. He needed to kill the man holding Estella hostage while ensuring her safety.
Kalos tightened his grip on his dagger.
“Ah!” The man screamed.
“Don’t even think about-"
The man was interrupted as a dagger pierced his throat, leaving his body to slowly fall to the ground.
Kalos looked behind the shaking Estella and saw Crimwal, even though he was shaking as well.
“W- well, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!” Crimwal said and the group made its way to the eastern gate.
Kalos quickly ran his eyes over Estella to ensure that she was physically unharmed. She rubbed her neck gently, then noticed Kalosýni's burning gaze. She knew it wasn’t directed at her but she couldn’t stand seeing the boy in such a state.
“Kalos.” She called, but he was too busy checking her for wounds as they ran.
“Kalos!” She asked snapping Kalos out of the rage-induced trance he was under.
“Mmm? Looks like he didn't hurt you too badly.” He said in an octave that scared Estella the littlest bit.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just focus on us getting out of here, ok?” She suggested with a faint smile, which took more out of her than she showed as she ran.
The group eventually arrived at the eastern, where a new problem revealed itself.
Near the gate, a fancy looking carriage could be seen and was surrounded by a small group of people who all seemingly wanted to take it from its owner, but something was preventing them from doing so.
“Hey, isn’t that your pops?” Crimwal asked.
Kalos nodded slowly as they approached the carriage. There they saw Raymond swinging a sword that looked like it was made of pure light. Next to him stood a man wearing a glorious set of silver armour with a familiar crest who also wielded a sword of light.
Kalos clenched his jaws as he had never seen his father use magic before, but that wasn’t what upset him.
Why didn’t he teach me that? Kalos cried internally.
This discovery seemingly poured a bucket of water on the fire that had flared up in his heart. Raymond must have noticed his son’s comical glare and so he waved casually as he swung his sword of light which cleanly cut apart pieces of its victims as though it was as sharp as a razor.
Kalos exchanged glances with Crimwal.
They were both perplexed by the sight of Raymond’s brutal yet casual slaughter.
Raymond moved so elegantly it was though he was dancing, but his deadly dance came at the cost of a limb or even head of those who dared to approach him.
The number of enemies eventually dropped to zero and Raymond was left with his final opponent, his son’s fury.
“Where were you? We were attacked at the motel by one of those dreaded men and why didn’t you tell me you could use magic?” Kalos asked as Estella, Crimwal and the woman from before approached the carriage.
“Umm… oh my goodness, you’re safe. I was so worried.” Raymond said in a monotone voice, while suspiciously shifting his eyes, causing his son to pout in anger.
“The horses are ready. Get in!” A voice from the front of the carriage cried, prompting everyone who wasn’t lying dead on the ground to board the carriage before it took off.
The carriage shot out of Llendor, running over any poor souls who dared stand in its way.
Meanwhile, Kalos was staring at his father with a blank expression that seemingly made the night colder.